The Model Alliance Foundation Inc

What The Model Alliance Foundation Inc does

The Model Alliance Foundation Inc is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in February 2012 by Sara Ziff and Jenna Sauers to advance labor protections for fashion industry workers. Its primary constituents are working and aspiring fashion models, as well as broader fashion industry workers including makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers, stylists, and content creators. The organization operates a suite of advocacy and direct-service programs: MA Support, a confidential grievance reporting and advice line operated through a Salesforce-based intake system; the RESPECT Program, an industry standards framework with a binding Code of Conduct, training requirements, and enforcement mechanisms; Research Publications developed with academic partners including Harvard, Northeastern, and Cornell; and legislative advocacy that produced the Fashion Workers Act in New York (effective June 2025) and the Talent Protections Act in California (effective January 2019).

The organization's business model is nonprofit donation- and grant-funded, with services provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is sourced from foundations, individuals, and partners supporting labor rights advocacy in fashion; Omidyar Network and Ford Foundation are referenced as supporters/partners. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct worker engagement, coalition-building with unions (SAG-AFTRA, WGA East, Amazon Labor Union), academic partnerships (Columbia, Cornell, NYU Law), earned media coverage, grassroots organizing, and speaking engagements. No pricing model is applied to beneficiaries, and the organization does not have disclosed financials or funding rounds. Operating geographies span New York, California, and Florida, with a New York headquarters and a single-digit employee headcount.

Name

The Model Alliance Foundation Inc

Legal name

The Model Alliance

Website

https://modelalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Model Alliance is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 that advances labor protections for fashion models and industry workers through policy advocacy, confidential support services, industry-standard programs like RESPECT, and academic research partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Worker Advocacy and Labor Rights Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (81393), Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (813930), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

HR Compliance, Policy, EEO & Labor Law (BPACAPAM), Labor, Social Protection & Occupational Safety Standards Cooperation (BPADANAM)

Keywords

• Worker advocacy services
• Labor rights advocacy
• Nonprofit fashion policy
• Industry standards programs
• Worker support services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through donations and grants from foundations, individuals, and partners who support labor rights advocacy in the fashion industry

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Model Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances workers' rights in the fashion industry through free confidential support services for models and creatives, an industry-standards program (RESPECT) with binding Code of Conduct and enforcement, original policy research publications, and legislative advocacy that has produced landmark laws such as the New York Fashion Workers Act and California's Talent Protections Act.

Product overview

The Model Alliance is a nonprofit organization that operates a suite of advocacy services and programs for fashion workers rather than a traditional product portfolio. Its core offerings include MA Support (a confidential grievance reporting and advice service), the RESPECT Program (an industry-wide code of conduct and accountability framework), Research Publications (academic studies on industry health and labor issues), and Fashion Workers Act Advocacy (legislative efforts resulting in New York's landmark model labor protections). These services work together to advance workers' rights from the runway to the factory floor in the fashion industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MA Support A confidential grievance reporting and advice service that assists working and aspiring models and creatives with complaints about inappropriate on-the-job conduct, agent issues, and other work-related problems through an intake form and Salesforce-based case management. The service is provided free of charge to fashion workers.
• RESPECT Program An industry standards program designed to enable a harassment-free working environment through a Code of Conduct, education requirements, transparency protections, enforceable commitments, and economic vulnerability safeguards. Cited by the United Nations as aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and named by Harvard Business Review and The New York Times among the most important social-impact success stories and most ambitious solutions for industry standards.
• Research Publications Published research studies on eating disorders, health standards, and working conditions in the fashion industry, produced in collaboration with universities including Harvard, Northeastern, and Cornell. Includes the COVID-19 impact survey of 212 working models (March–April 2020) and IRB-certified mixed methods action research on AI, worker views, disparate impacts on women workers and workers of color, and the Fashion Workers Act with Data & Society and the Worker Institute at Cornell ILR.
• Fashion Workers Act Advocacy Advocacy initiative that led to passage of New York's Fashion Workers Act, the first-of-its-kind legislation licensing and regulating model management companies and creating labor protections including consent requirements for digital replicas. The Act was introduced in 2022, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in December 2024, and took effect on June 19, 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Passage of Fashion Workers Act - first legislation to license and regulate model management companies in the US
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Omidyar NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Partnered on AI and Future of Work convening in Silicon Valley, co-hosted Responsible by Design event ahead of NYFW 2025 on AI, fashion, and creative labor. Omidyar Network provides funding and strategic support for Model Alliance initiatives on technology and worker protections.
• Data & SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on IRB-certified mixed methods action research project examining worker views on AI, potential disparate impacts on women workers and workers of color, and impacts of the Fashion Workers Act.
• Worker Institute at Cornell ILRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on AI impacts on fashion workers, COVID-19 survey analysis, and ongoing studies on worker experiences. Cornell researchers provided input on survey development and analyzed results.
• SAG-AFTRAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for Fashion Workers Act advocacy, participated in NYFW press conferences and rallies. Solidarity partnership between entertainment industry union and fashion worker advocacy.
• WGA EastmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for advocacy efforts, joined NYFW press conference to raise awareness for labor protections in fashion industry.
• Ford FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of 'A New Model for Fashion' panel discussion featuring Model Alliance leadership. Ford Foundation supports through speaking platforms and thought leadership opportunities.
• Amazon Labor UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor solidarity partnership; Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls joined rallies for Fashion Workers Act and Labor Day March.
• The New SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of F(r)ictions symposium on AI and creative work (May 2026). Academic partnership for research dissemination and public dialogue.
• Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest lectures at Columbia University School of Professional Studies (Fashion Policy course) and Mailman School of Public Health (Health Advocacy class).
• Cornell UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest lecture at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Worker council member Dorothee Grant participated in ILR Labor Roundtable.
• NYU Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSara Ziff delivered guest lecture at NYU Law School's IPELS Fashion Law Committee on Model Alliance origins and Fashion Workers Act.
• Federal Trade CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSara Ziff participated in FTC virtual roundtable on Content Creation and Generative AI alongside representatives from WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and Authors Guild.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Domestic Workers Alliance: Worker-led nonprofit advocating for labor protections, policy reform, and standards for domestic workers. Comparable to Model Alliance as a mission-driven worker advocacy organization that has championed legislative change and built coalition partnerships.
• Fashion Revolution: Global fashion activism movement campaigning for transparency, ethics, and worker rights across the fashion supply chain. Comparable as a fashion-specific advocacy organization with overlapping policy and education goals.
• Freelancers Union: Nonprofit organization advocating for freelance and independent workers through policy, benefits, and community organizing. Comparable as a worker advocacy nonprofit targeting freelance and contract workers, an overlapping constituency with fashion models.
• Worker Rights Consortium: Independent labor rights organization focused on protecting garment workers and enforcing apparel industry codes of conduct. Closely comparable to Model Alliance in the fashion labor rights space with comparable research, monitoring, and policy advocacy functions.

Emerging players

• SAG-AFTRA: Entertainment industry union representing performers with established labor protections and recent AI/digital replica policy wins. Comparable as a coalition partner on creative worker issues and a model for labor organization in creative industries.
• Writers Guild of America (WGA East): Labor union representing writers in film, TV, and digital media with recent success on AI protections. Comparable as a creative-industry union coalition partner with shared advocacy on emerging technology threats to creative workers.
• Fair Labor Association: Multi-stakeholder nonprofit promoting adherence to international labor standards in apparel and footwear supply chains. Comparable through its code-of-conduct, certification, and worker-rights focus across the fashion and apparel industry.
• TIME'S UP Now: Nonprofit organization addressing workplace harassment and gender equity, with comparable focus on harassment prevention, survivor support, and policy advocacy in entertainment and adjacent industries.

Others

• Centro de los Derechos del Migrante: Migrant worker advocacy nonprofit focused on temporary visa workers, including H-2A workers, with a comparable model of grassroots organizing, legal support, and policy advocacy for vulnerable worker populations.
• Workers United: Labor union coalition organizing across apparel, textile, and service industries. Comparable through its focus on apparel/fashion worker representation and as a coalition partner (Board member Theresa Haas serves as Director of Global Strategies at Workers United).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/modelallianceny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modelalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Model Alliance Foundation Inc